A classically trained opera singer from New York, Nia Imani Franklin, has won the first post-swimsuit Miss America contest. “I have New York grit,” Franklin, 25, said during the competition, “As a New Yorker, I understand what it means to work hard.” Participants in the rebooted event were invited to make social-impact statements; Miss Michigan, Emily Sioma, whipped up a viral storm after she introduced her state as having “84 percent of the country’s fresh water but with none for its residents to drink.” Detroit children have just returned to schools where they are being instructed to not drink from water fountains after elevated lead and copper levels were found at 34 facilities.
